A Mystical BET: Symonds Joins Sheila Johnson at Courtside

CableFAX Daily columnist, T. Howard Foundation pres and lifelong basketball fan Curtis Symonds will be announced today as COO of the Washington Mystics, the WNBA franchise in the nation’s capital. Curtis will remain at T. Howard for a few months as it locates a successor. "I feel so strongly about diversity that I want T. Howard to find the right person," Curtis says. T. Howard encourages minority opportunities by placing youth in internships with media companies. Symonds also will remain a CableFAX Daily columnist (hope that means we get floor seats). In late May the Mystics franchise was purchased by a group led by BET co-founder Sheila Johnson. Symonds spent 14 years at BET and knew Johnson "from day one," he says. A self-described sports nut ("it’s my love") and one of cable’s finest dressers, Symonds is not a stranger to the business of sports, having worked at ESPN for 8 years. Johnson is pres, managing partner and governor for the Mystics and is a partner in Lincoln Holdings LLC, which owns the NHL’s Washington Capitals and has a minority interest in the NBA’s Washington Wizards. As such, she is believed to be the 1st African-American woman to be an owner/partner in 3 pro sports franchises. The Mystics are 14-14 this season, in fifth place, on the cusp of making the playoffs. The team visits the NY Liberty this evening at 7:30 (Comcast Sports Net, NBA TV).